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Requirements
Academic requirements
Applicants will be eligible for admission with a minimum of 90 credits acceptable to the TRU BEd Elementary (ELEM) program.
A maximum of 57 credits can be in academic coursework at any level in any subject area (excluding credits earned in practicum or work term courses).
The remaining 33 credits (Requirements #1 through #5 below) must meet a cumulative minimum GPA of 2.67 in order for your application to be reviewed for admission.
A course can only be used once to fulfil any of the following five academic admission requirements.
- Requirement #1a & 1b: 6 credits in English, must include courses in both literature and composition
- Requirement #2: 3 credits in mathematics (not statistics)
- Requirement #3: 3 credits in science (biology, chemistry, physics, physical geography, geology/earth science, environmental studies, astronomy)
- Requirement #4: 3 credits in history or geography
- Requirement #5: 18 credits at the 3000/4000 level in one or more teachable subject areas in the BC school curriculum
Approved Teachable Subject Areas in the BC school curriculum
- English
- History
- Geography
- Social Studies
- Mathematics
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Earth Sciences
- Environmental Sciences
- French (Core)
- German
- Japanese
- Spanish
- First Nations Languages
- Korean
- Mandarin
- Punjabi
- Russian
- Art
- Drama
- Music
- Dance
- First Nations Studies
- Business Education
- Computing Science
- Physical Education
Also required but not part of the GPA calculation:
- Requirement #6: 6 credits in Canadian Studies where the Canadian lived experience is the main focus of the course content.
- Requirement #7: 24 credits of coursework in one teachable subject area in the BC school curriculum.
English courses in Canadian literature are not eligible to fulfil the Canadian Studies requirement.
All courses needed to meet admission requirements must be completed no later than the end of April prior to the Fall intake being applied to. There is no option to complete courses needed to meet admission requirements after the end of April.
Teaching experience requirement
You must have at least 100 hours of relevant experience working with groups of elementary (grades K-7) and/or middle school (grades 6-9) students. A minimum of 25 hours must be in elementary or middle school classrooms in Canada. These 25 hours must be fully completed by the application deadline of March 15.
If you are not able to complete all of the required 100 hours of experience by the deadline, you can still apply to the program.
Submission deadline: Program application remains open until all seats are full. Submit your application as soon as possible to increase your chances of securing a seat.
» Forms on Application page
- Letter of introduction form
- Statement of 100 hours of experience form
- Two reference report forms
- Official transcripts (not photocopies) from all post-secondary institutions (other than studies completed at TRU)
Registration and payment of fees
If you are accepted, the Registrar’s Office will notify you in writing. To reserve your place, you must pay a $500 tuition deposit fee by the date specified in your offer of admission letter.
Financial aid, entrance scholarships, bursaries and awards
Applicants may apply for financial aid, entrance scholarships and awards. To learn more, search the Awards Guide on the Student Awards & Financial Aid page.
Criminal record check
To participate in a practicum, teacher candidates must have completed and submitted a Consent to Criminal Record Check form.
Persons convicted of a criminal offense or who have been given an absolute or conditional discharge should contact the BC Teacher Certification Branch (TCB) for clarification of their status before undertaking a teacher education program.
Program schedule
The ELEM program is only available for on-campus studies and is full-time with courses scheduled Monday to Friday anywhere from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and subject to the BEd Student Attendance policy
